Acquisition and organization of digital images

ABSTRACT

A system and method for organizing digital images automatically. A digital image is acquired and automatically converted into an image data file with an associated date, and stored into a file system folder associated with that date. When the digital image is to be acquired using an optical scanner, the method automatically acquires the image using predefined scanner settings that are appropriate to a photographic image to scan the item.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] As the availability of inexpensive, photographic-quality computerprinters has increased, there has also been an increase in thepopularity of digital photography. Images can now be captured andprinted with a quality that rivals those of traditional photographs.Many digital cameras automatically capture photographic images at thepush of a button, storing them electronically in the camera on a memorydevice such as a flash card. The digital images can be uploaded to acomputer. Large numbers of digital images can then be efficiently storedon media such as writeable or rewriteable CD-ROMs.

[0002] In addition to digital images captured by digital cameras, manyusers also use products incorporating optical scanning technology tocreate digital images from traditional photographs or other print media.One popular type of these products are multifunction (also known as“All-in-One”) printers which typically include scanner, copier, and insome cases fax capabilities in addition to printing capabilities. Toperform a scanning operation, image acquisition systems incorporatingthese products typically require the user to manually select or adjust anumber of settings, usually in conjunction with a preview of the imageto be stored, before the digital image of the scanned item is created.

[0003] As large numbers of digital images from different image sourcesare acquired, it becomes both more important and more difficult for theuser to manage and organize these images in a manner that allows him orher to easily locate and access desired images.

[0004] Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have a new andimproved image processing system, and methods of scanning and organizingdigital images, that more easily acquire images from optical scannerproducts and which organize images from all sources in a convenientmanner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides amethod of organizing digital images automatically. When a digital imageis acquired, it is automatically converted into a data file with anassociated date, and stored into a file system folder associated withthat date. In another preferred embodiment, the present inventionprovides a method of optically scanning a target item automatically byusing predefined scanner settings appropriate to a photographic image toscan the item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The above-mentioned features of the present invention and themanner of attaining them, and the invention itself, will be bestunderstood by reference to the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing system accordingto the present invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image processing system ofFIG. 1 illustrating a variety of image sources;

[0009]FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary computer monitor displaygenerated by the image processing system of FIG. 1;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of automatically organizingdigital images usable with the image processing system of FIG. 1;

[0011]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a multifunction printer usable inthe image processing system of FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 6 is a more detailed flowchart of the image acquisitionportion of the method of FIG. 4; and

[0013]FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of image acquisitionparameters associated with the image acquisition method portion of FIG.6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated an imageprocessing system constructed in accordance with the present inventionwhich automatically converts an acquired digital image into a data filehaving an associated date, and stores the data file in a file systemfolder associated with that date. As best understood with reference toFIG. 1, the image processing system 10 includes at least one imagesource 20 a-b, an image capture subsystem 30 coupled to the imagesources 20, and a file system 40 coupled to the image capture subsystem30. In operation, the image capture subsystem 30 requests, and one ofthe image sources 20 provides, at least one digital image. The imagecapture subsystem 30 associates a date with each digital image andautomatically converts each digital image into a corresponding imagefile. The image capture subsystem 30 then automatically stores eachimage file in the file system 40 in a data folder which is associatedwith the date. The present invention advantageously makes it easier tolocate digital images, handles images from all image sources in asimilar manner, and provides a similar user interface for all imagesources.

[0015] Considering now in further detail the image source 20, and withreference to FIG. 2, the image processing system typically includes acomputing apparatus 2 to which the image sources are coupled over acommunications interface 4. The communications interface 4 may be adifferent physical type (including, for example, serial, parallel, USB,IEEE1394 “Firewire”, or the like) and may utilize a different standardor proprietary communications protocol for different types of imagesources. The image source may be the image recording subsystem of adigital camera 21 a, or may be the prerecorded image memory of a digitalcamera 21 b. The prerecorded image memory is typically a flash memorydevice which is preferably removable from the camera 21 b. The flashmemory device may be a SmartMedia (trademark of the Solid State FloppyDisk Card Forum) device, a Memory Stick (trademark of Sony) device, aCompactFlash (trademark of the CompactFlash Association) device, or thelike. The image source may also be a memory card reader 23 into whichthe memory card 22 is inserted. Such a card 22 preferably contains afile system, and the card 22 and reader 23 combination preferablyimplements a communications protocol such as the Mass Storage DeviceClass protocol or the like for the transfer of digital images to thecomputer 2. The image source may further be an optical scanner 24. Thescanner 24 may communicate with the computer 2 using TWAIN protocol(version 1.9 of the protocol definition is available athttp://www.twain.org) or a proprietary protocol. The image source devicemay additionally be a multifunction printer 25. Such a printer 25preferably includes an optical scanner subsystem, which may alsocommunicate with the computer 2 using TWAIN protocol or a proprietaryprotocol. Some printers 25 further include a memory card readersubsystem, operable as previously described for the memory card reader23. A memory card reader subsystem may also be included in computer 2.Other types of image sources capable of providing digital images, suchas video source 26, may also be connected to the computer 2. Videosource 26 may be a video capture subsystem which converts an analogvideo signal into digital format, or may be a digital video device suchas a DVD player, a digital camcorder, or the like. Any combination ofthese types of image sources 20 may be included in the image processingsystem 10, and the system 10 may contain more than one image source 20of the same type.

[0016] The image processing system 10 may further include devices towhich a digital image captured from an image source 20 can be sent. Suchdevices include a printer 6, which may be of any type capable ofprinting an image but which is preferably a color inkjet printer, and acommunications interface (not shown; typically included in computer 2)which provides a connection to a network 8. The network 8 may be thetelephone system for sending a fax, but is preferably the Internet. Thecommunications interface may provide LAN, WAN, or dial-up connection tothe Internet.

[0017] The computer 2 further contains a processor (not shown) forexecuting software instructions contained on a processor-readablemedium. The medium may be a storage device 5, such as a CD-ROM, a floppydisk, or the like, which is inserted into the computer 2. Alternatively,the medium may be a memory internal to the computer (not shown) intowhich the software instructions have been downloaded, such as a harddrive, ROM, RAM, or the like.

[0018] Considering now in further detail the image capture subsystem 30,and with reference to FIG. 1, the image capture subsystem 30 requestsand obtains digital images from an image source 20. Image sources aregenerally of two types. For “live” image sources 20 a, the digital imageis recorded by the image source 20 a upon receipt of a capture signalfrom the image capture subsystem 30 and then received from the imagesource 20 a by the image capture subsystem 30. As will be describedsubsequently in greater detail with reference to optical scanning, theimage capture subsystem 30 can configure the image source 20 a byproviding image acquisition parameters appropriate for capturingphotographic images to the source 20 a.

[0019] For “prerecorded” image sources 20 b, alternatively, one or moredigital images have already been recorded by the image source 20 b, andthe prerecorded image data for one or more digital images is receivedfrom the image source 20 b by the image capture subsystem 30. For eachdigital image, the image source 20 b preferably provides an imageacquisition date to the image capture subsystem 30. For example, whereimage source 20 b is a memory card 22 containing images taken by adigital camera 21, the image acquisition date is the date on which thepicture was taken by the camera 21. In some embodiments in which theimage source 20 b processes the prerecorded images before transferringthe image data to the image capture subsystem 30, the image capturesubsystem 30 may provide photo settings, such as a desired pixel heightand width of the digital image, to the image source 20 b; but in thepreferred embodiment the prerecorded image data is provided to the imagecapture subsystem 30 without modification.

[0020] In addition to the image acquisition date, in some embodiments adate subsystem 32, such as a clock/calendar or a timer, provides theimage capture subsystem 30 upon request with the current date. Both thecurrent date and the image acquisition date may also include time. Aswill be described subsequently in greater detail, the image capturesubsystem 30 can use either the current date or the image acquisitiondate to determine the data folder 42 of the file system 40 in which theimage date file will be stored.

[0021] Considering now additional subsystems of a preferred embodimentof the image processing system 10, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3,the image processing system 10 preferably includes an image managementsubsystem 50 coupled to the image capture subsystem 30 and the filesystem 40. The image management subsystem 50 provides for viewing on amonitor of the computer 2 the data folders in the file system 40, suchas exemplary data folders 42 a-b, and for viewing the image files in aspecified data folder 42 a-b. An exemplary view 60 illustrates datafolders 42 a-b in a folder window 62, and thumbnail views of image files64 a-b in a file window 66. Image files 64 a-b are contained in the datafolder 42 b named “Aug 2001”, as indicated by the “open folder” icon 68adjacent to folder “Aug 2001” 42 b in the folder window 62. The imagemanagement subsystem 50 obtains the data folders and image files fromthe file system 40 by supplying a pathname or the like to the filesystem 40, as known to those skilled in the art. The thumbnail viewtypically is the most convenient one for allowing the user to quicklyand easily identify images of interest. However, instead of thumbnailviews, the image management subsystem 50 may alternatively displaytextual information about the image files in the specified folder 42a-b, which may be done in a more compact manner and thus allow morefiles to fit in the file window 66.

[0022] The image management subsystem 50 further signals the imagecapture subsystem 30 to acquire images from the image source 20. Thissignaling is typically provided in response to a user input such asoperation of the “Scan” control 70 a or the “Card Upload” control 70 b(buttons on program). In this exemplary configuration, operation of the“Scan” control 70 a results in the image management subsystem 50generating a capture command to the image capture subsystem 30, which inturn issues a capture signal to a “live” image source 20 a such asscanner 24 or the optical scanner subsystem of multifunction printer 25.In some embodiments, image acquisition parameters to be used by theimage source 20 a in acquiring the image are also communicated to thesource 20 a. These image acquisition parameters include predefinedsettings which are appropriate to a photographic image.

[0023] In an alternate embodiment, an external capture signal may besupplied to the image source 20 in order to acquire an image or images.Where the image source is a “live” image source 20 a such as scanner 24or the optical scanner subsystem of multifunction printer 25, theexternal capture signal is typically generated by the user operating acontrol, such as a pushbutton, of the live image source 20 a.

[0024] With regard to acquiring images from the “prerecorded” imagesource 20 b, operation of the “Card Upload” control 70 b results in theimage management subsystem 50 acquiring the prestored images from“prerecorded” image source 20 b, which is preferably memory card 22. Aswill be described subsequently in greater detail, the image capturesubsystem 30 automatically stores each digital image obtained from imagesource 20 a-b on the file system 40. Each digital image is stored on thefile system 40 as an image file located in a data folder associated witheither the current date or the image acquisition date. In some“prerecorded” image source 20 b embodiments which further process thestored image prior to sending it to the image capture subsystem 30, theimage acquisition parameters used by the image source 20 b in furtherprocessing the stored image are also communicated to the source 20 b.These image acquisition parameters include predefined settings which areappropriate to a photographic image.

[0025] Some embodiments of the image processing system 10 also include apost-processing subsystem 80 coupled to the image management subsystemfor post-processing at least one selected one of the image files. Thepost-processing system 80 is preferably an application programexecutable by the processor of computer 2. An exemplary applicationprogram is a photo editor which polishes the image as requested bypost-processing inputs from a user. Such image polishing typicallyinclude enhancing the image by cropping or adjusting brightness orcolor. Operation of a post-processing system 80 such as the photo editoris preferably invoked by a user input to the image management system 50such as the operation of a “Photo Editor” control 82. The imagemanagement system 50 may provide the pathname of the image file and/orthe image file itself to the post-processing system 80. Some embodimentsof the post-processing system 80 are coupled to the file system 40 foraccessing image files. After post-processing has been performed, thepost-processing subsystem 80 may store the modified image file on thefile system 40, or provide the modified image file to the imagemanagement subsystem 50 for storage on the file system 40.

[0026] Other exemplary post-processing subsystems 80 include creativeprinting applications such as a greeting card generation program whichincludes digital images on the greeting card; photo album applicationswhich create photo albums from a collection of digital images; e-mailprograms which incorporate digital images into e-mail messages; photoweb site upload utilities which store digital images on photo-sharingweb sites; fax programs which fax digital images to specified telephonerecipients; and the like.

[0027] The image processing system 10 may further include an imagedestination 84 for receiving output data representing processed imagesfrom a post-processing subsystem 80. The destination may include aperipheral device such as a printer 6, the printing subsystem ofmultifunction printer 25, or an interface connection to network 8.

[0028] Another embodiment of the present invention, as best understoodwith reference to FIG. 4, is a method of automatically organizingdigital images. The method 100 begins at 102 with acquiring a digitalimage. The image is preferably acquired from an image source 20.

[0029] At 104, a date is automatically associated with the digitalimage. One preferred date is the capture date when the digital image wascaptured by the image source 20. Another preferred date is the storagedate when the digital image was converted into a data file in the folder42 on the file system 40.

[0030] At 106, the digital image is automatically converted into a datafile.

[0031] At 108, the data file is stored into a data folder, such asfolder 42, of a file system 40. The folder 42 is associated with thedate, and typically selected from a set of data folders. If no folder 42associated with the date as vet exists on the file system 40, such afolder 42 is created. In the preferred embodiment, the data folder isassociated with a particular month and year, such as folder 42 a forJuly 2001 and folder 42 b for August 2001. For example, for a particulardigital image that has a capture date of Jul. 15, 2001 and a storagedate of Aug. 23, 2001, if the associated date is the capture date, theimage file will be stored into the July 2001 folder 42 a, alternatively,if the associated date is the storage date, the image file will bestored into the August 2001 folder 42 b. Such a folder organizationadvantageously organizes the digital images by date, thus helping theuser to easily and quickly locate desired images for viewing orpost-processing.

[0032] If more images are to be acquired (“Yes” branch of 110), then themethod branches to 102 to acquire these images. If no more images are tobe acquired (“No” branch of 110) and no post-processing of images is tobe done (“No” branch of 112), then the method ends. If post-processingof images is to be done (“Yes” branch of 112), then at 114 apost-processing operation is performed on selected data files stored onthe file system 40. Some exemplary post-processing operations associatedwith the method 100 have heretofore been described with reference to thepost-processing subsystem 80.

[0033] In the preferred embodiment, the image processing system 10includes processor-executable software instructions to implement method100. These software instructions are included in one or moreprocessor-readable media located in computer 2 and/or printer 6. In someembodiments, the software instructions are supplied to computer 2 fromstorage device 5

[0034] Considering now in further detail the multifunction printer 25,and with reference to FIG. 5, printer 25 includes an optical scannerportion 90. This portion 90 is also functionally and structurallysimilar to optical scanner 24. In the preferred embodiment, the scannerportion 90 is a flatbed scanner. In a flatbed scanner, a target item 91to be scanned is placed on (or in alternate embodiments automaticallyfed to) a large horizontal glass or transparent plastic window or platen92. The platen 92 preferably provides a scannable area of 8.5 inches by11 inches or greater, and can accommodate target items 91 which are upto the size of the platen 92. The target item 91 is typically aphotograph on a single sheet of media such as photographic paper, butcould also be a transparency, a photo bound in a book, or asubstantially flat physical object that is placed on the platen 92. In aflatbed scanner, the target item 91 is maintained in a stationaryposition during scanning.

[0035] A light source 96 is directed toward the target item 91 while anoptical scanning array 94 that extends across the entire width of theplaten 92 reciprocates longitudinally over the target item 91.Preferably the light source 96 is mounted so as to be movable with thescanning array 94. The light source 26 may be defined by a tubularfluorescent light, for example. The array 94 detects light reflectedfrom the target item during reciprocation in order to generate a digitalimage of the target item 91. The array 94 may be an array of photodetectors or charge coupled device (CCD) elements which define imagingpixels and are able to generate signals indicative of the differentcolors that were detected at different locations of the scanned targetitem 91. The scanner portion 90 further includes a motor 98 to move thescanning array 94 and light source 96 together along the scanning path,typically by driving a belt or chain 99. The motor 98 is preferably astepper motor, which can be controlled to a high positional accuracy.

[0036] In an alternate embodiment, the optical scanner portion 90 is asheet-fed scanner. A sheet-fed scanner differs from a flatbed scanner inthat the scanning array 94 is stationary in a sheet-fed scanner, and thetarget item 91 (which is typically limited to a single sheet of media)is moved past the array 94.

[0037] Considering now in further detail the acquiring 102 of thedigital image from the image source 20, with reference to FIG. 6 andbearing in mind the preceding discussion of the optical scanner portion90, the acquiring 102 determines at 122 the type of image acquisition tobe performed. If the image to be acquired is from a “live” image source20 a such as the optical scanner portion 90 (“Live” branch of 122), thenat 124 settings appropriate to a photographic image for imageacquisition parameters are predefined. At 126, a digital image iscaptured with the image source 20 a according to the predefinedsettings. Typical predefined settings will be described subsequently.Where the image source 20 a is the optical scanner portion 90 or theoptical scanner 24, the target item 91 (which is positioned image sidedown on the platen 92) is optically scanned using the predefinedsettings to form the digital image of the target item 91. At 128, thedigital image is uploaded and acquiring 102 completes.

[0038] If the image to be acquired has already been captured(“Pre-Recorded” branch of 122), then at 130 it is determined whetherimage preprocessing will be performed before the acquisition. If the“prestored” image source 20 b is capable of image preprocessing andimage preprocessing is to be performed (“Yes” branch of 130), then at132 the previously captured image is preprocessed using predefinedsettings appropriate to a photographic image for the image acquisitionparameters. After the preprocessing 132, or if no preprocessing is to beperformed (“No” branch of 130), then at 134 the previously captureddigital image is uploaded and the acquiring 102 completes. Inembodiments where the “prestored” image source 20 b is capable ofproviding information other than digital images, the uploading 134 mayinclude uploading this additional information (and typically storing iton the file system 40 as a non-image file), or alternatively may includefiltering out the additional information so that only images areuploaded.

[0039] Considering now in greater detail the predefined settings forimage acquisition parameters, and with reference to FIG. 7, eachdifferent type of image source 20 may have different parameters and/ordifferent settings for those parameters. For an optical scanner portion90 of a multifunction printer 25, or for an optical scanner 24, apreferred set of image acquisition parameters 140 include a pixel depthparameter 142, an image resolution parameter 144, a crop mode parameter146, and a skew correction mode parameter 148. Preferred settings forthese parameters appropriate to photographic images include a pixeldepth 142 of 24-bit color, an image resolution 144 of 150 dots per inch(dpi), a crop mode 146 of automatic border detection, and a skewcorrection mode 148 of automatic image straightening. These settingscooperate to allow a digital image of a target item 91 placed on theplaten 92 to be converted into a photographic-quality image file withoutrequiring manual user intervention, such as a preview scan andsubsequent interactive tweaking of various image parameters, before thephotographic-quality image file is produced. Use of the predefined imageacquisition parameter settings thus allows image scanning to beperformed in a one-step operation that is analogous to how a digitalimage is captured with a “point-and-shoot” digital camera.

[0040] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the imageprocessing system and methods provided by the present inventionrepresent a significant advance in the art. Although several specificembodiments of the invention have been described and the invention isnot limited to the specific methods, forms, or arrangements of parts sodescribed and illustrated. The invention is limited only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of optically scanning a target item,comprising: predefining settings for scanning parameters appropriate toa photographic image; optically scanning the target item using thepredefined settings to form a digital image of the target item; andautomatically converting the digital image into a data file.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further including: automatically storing the datafile.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the storing includes storing thedata file on a file system.
 4. The method of claim 3, further includingspecifying a date, and wherein the storing further includes storing thedata file on the file system in a folder associated with the date. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein the folder is associated with aparticular month and year.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thescanning parameters are selected from the group consisting of pixeldepth, resolution, crop mode, and skew correction mode.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the scanning parameter settings appropriate to aphotographic image includes: pixel depth=24-bit color; resolution=150dots per inch; crop mode=automatic border detection; and skew correctionmode=automatic image straightening.
 8. The method of claim 4, whereinthe file system has no folder associated with the date, furtherincluding: creating the folder associated with the date.
 9. The methodof claim 4, wherein the data file is a plurality of data files andwherein the file system has a plurality of folders, further including:viewing a representation of the plurality of folders; and viewing arepresentation of the data files in one of the folders.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further including providing an image capture signal toinitiate the scanning, and wherein the scanning and converting isperformed without any further user intervention.
 11. A method ofautomatically organizing digital images, comprising: acquiring a digitalimage from an image source; automatically associating a date with thedigital image; automatically converting the digital image into a datafile; and storing the data file into a folder of a file system, thefolder associated with the date.
 12. The method of claim 11, furtherincluding: creating the folder if no other folder is associated with thedate.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the date is the capture datewhen the image was captured by the image source.
 14. The method of claim11, wherein the date is the storage date when the image was convertedinto a data file.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the data folder isassociated with a particular month and year.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein the data folder is selected from a set of data folders.
 17. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the digital image is a previously capturedimage, and wherein the acquiring further includes: uploading thepreviously captured image.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein theacquiring further includes: predefining settings for image acquisitionparameters appropriate to a photographic image; and capturing thedigital image with the image source according to the predefinedsettings.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising: performing apost-processing operation on the data file.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the performing includes performing an image polishing operation.21. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing includes processingthe data file with an application program.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein the performing further includes sending the processed data fileto a destination.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the destination isa peripheral device.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the peripheraldevice is selected from the group consisting of a printer and a faxmachine.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the application program isselected from the group consisting of an image polishing application, acreative printing application, a photo album application, an e-mailapplication, and a photo web site upload application.
 26. A method ofprocessing digital images from a plurality of image sources, comprising:predefining at least one set of image acquisition parameters, each setassociated with a corresponding one of a group of image sources andappropriate for acquiring a photographic image with the correspondingimage source; configuring a selected one of the image sources with theassociated set of image acquisition parameters; acquiring a digitalimage from the selected one of the image sources; automaticallyconverting the digital image into a data file; and integrating the datafile into a file structure common to data files from all the imagesources.
 27. An image processing system, comprising: at least one imagesource, each image source for providing at least one digital image uponrequest; an image capture subsystem coupled to the at least one imagesource for requesting and receiving the at least one digital image fromthe at least one image source, the image capture subsystem further forassociating a date with each digital image and automatically convertingeach digital image into a corresponding image file; and a file systemcoupled to the image capture subsystem for automatically storing eachimage file in a selected one of a plurality of data folders, theselected data folder associated with the date.
 28. The image processingsystem of claim 27, comprising: an image management subsystem coupled tothe image capture subsystem and the file system for viewing theplurality of data folders and the image files in a specified datafolder.
 29. The image processing system of claim 28, comprising: apost-processing subsystem coupled to the image management subsystem forpost-processing at least one selected one of the image files.
 30. Theimage processing system of claim 29, wherein the post-processingsubsystem is further coupled to the file system for accessing theselected ones of the image files.
 31. The image processing system ofclaim 29, comprising: an image destination coupled to thepost-processing subsystem for receiving output data corresponding to atleast one selected one of the image files.
 32. The image processingsystem of claim 27, wherein the date is an image acquisition dateprovided by the image source.
 33. The image processing system of claim27, wherein the date is a current date provided by a date subsystemcoupled to the image capture subsystem.
 34. The image processing systemof claim 27, wherein the at least one image source is an opticalscanner, and wherein the image capture subsystem provides predefinedsettings appropriate to a photographic image to the optical scanner foruse in providing the at least one digital image.
 35. Aprocessor-readable medium having processor-executable instructionsthereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:acquire a digital image from an image source; automatically convert thedigital image into a data file having a date associated with the digitalimage; and store the data file into a data folder of a file system, thefolder associated with the date.
 36. A processor-readable medium havingprocessor-executable instructions thereon which, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to: predefine settings for scanningparameters appropriate to a photographic image; optically scan thetarget item using the predefined settings to form a digital image of thetarget item; and automatically convert the digital image into a datafile.
 37. An image processing system, comprising: means for acquiring adigital image from an image source; means for automatically convertingthe digital image into a data file having a date associated with thedigital image; and means for storing the data file into a data folder ofa file system, the folder associated with the date.
 38. An imageprocessing system, comprising: means for predefining settings forscanning parameters appropriate to a photographic image; means foroptically scanning the target item using the predefined settings to forma digital image of the target item; and means for automaticallyconverting the digital image into a data file.
 39. A method foroptically scanning a target item, comprising: a step for predefiningsettings for scanning parameters appropriate to a photographic image; astep for optically scanning the target item using the predefinedsettings to form a digital image of the target item; and a step forautomatically converting the digital image into a data file.
 40. Amethod for automatically organizing digital images, comprising: a stepfor acquiring a digital image from an image source; a step forautomatically converting the digital image into a data file having adate associated with the digital image; and a step for storing the datafile into a data folder of a file system, the folder associated with thedate.
 41. An image processing system, comprising: at least one imagesource, each image source for providing at least one digital image uponrequest; an image capture subsystem coupled to the at least one imagesource which requests and receives the at least one digital image fromthe at least one image source, associates a date with each image, andautomatically converts each image into a corresponding image file; and afile system coupled to the image capture subsystem which receives eachimage file from the image capture subsystem and automatically storeseach image file in a selected one of a plurality of data folders, theselected data folder associated with the date.